Sunday links fiesta

Is Pakistan in danger of collapse? Proving once again that appeasement is futile when the other fellow wants everything, the Taliban are now within 60 miles of Islamabad and closing. Questions of the day: Can the Pakistani government hold out for even six months, and what happens to Pakistan’s nukes when the state finally fails?

On a related note, Mark Steyn recalls that Britain once transferred global dominance and the defense of civilization to America. Now that President Obama seems intent on ushering in a post-American era, who leads now?

WTF??

Former CIA director and head of the House Intelligence Committee Porter Goss blisters the Obama Administration for putting partisan political gain ahead of our national security. (Related: Should President Palin prosecute former Obama Administration officials? It’s only partly tongue-in-cheek.)

And are they moving to end the right to counsel for individuals facing police interrogation? The answer is no; Patterico has the details. What the administration is doing is bad enough — we have to be extra careful not to fall prey to Obama Derangement Syndrome.

Miscellaneous:

Did you know the six states with the highest unemployment rates also have the highest tax rates, while the six with the lowest unemployment also have the lowest taxes? Correlation or causation?

Congressman Henry Waxman shows a scary ignorance of basic science. And, in the economy-killing cap and trade bill he’s pushing for the administration, is Waxman bribinggiving incentives to his colleagues? Finally, to follow up on an earlier global warming entry, here’s more on that quiescent sun.

Needed laughs:

Some chuckles to bring the weekend to a close. The latest NewsBusted, starring Jodi Miller: